BIG BIG NEWS!!!

Well, it is official: I am hilarious.




I auditioned and was accepted into the prestigious Second City Improv Conservatory. I begin training this week.

Now, some of you might be asking "What does this even mean?" or "What happens now?" or "Does this mean that my sister/daughter/aunt/sister-in-law is famous and I should start asking her for money?" Let me answer all of these questions.




So- there are basically 3 main training facilities here in Chicago (and in the nation for that matter only excluding The Groundlings in L.A., which has many famous alum) and they are :

-Annoyance Theatre (owned by Mick Napier who is currently widely regarded as the best improviser in the world)

-iO (formerly Improv Olympic owned by Charna Halpern who is the lady that I met in January in Houston)

-and The Second City (which has schools in 5 different U.S. cities and also Toronto which is where Mike Myers and all of those Canadians studied).

And Annoyance, iO, and Second City all have 5-level improv programs that you can pay to enter and you just get in (Second City has a "Beginner Improv" program, which is not what I am in). Each level is $250 and 2 months of your time 1 night a week. So, you can spend $1000 in a year and graduate from any one of these programs- which is awesome and most people here go through EACH program (yes- that's $3000 and 3 years, which I hope that I won't have to do).

But, here's the difference with the Improv Conservatory at Second City that I was accepted into. Each of those 3 programs that I mentioned before hold these truths:

A) Anyone can go through the program as long as you pay your money
B) Anyone can graduate all five levels as long as you pay your money
C) You don't have to audition to get in
D) You are guaranteed NOTHING as far as performance or success. You can, in all reality, graduate a program and never even perform once or get your "break".

And, I won't knock those programs because they are all awesome and you learn a lot and come out a better improviser. You can also put the name of the company on your resume', which is equally as awesome. But here the difference with the Improv Conservatory and why I chose it:

A) You have to audition to get in
B) You have to audition after Level 1 to get into Level 2 (basically, you can't suck and you have to keep getting better or they "trim the fat" from the class, so to speak)
C) You have to have at least a year of improv training and acting classes post- high school
D) If accepted into Level 2, you get the opportunity to perform in the Skybox Theatre at Second City while you are in Levels 3-5


So, while each program here in the city is awesome, the Conservatory program is sought after by a lot of people. Many people, I guess, want to go to Second City for the name recognition (probably none of you have heard of Annoyance, but I bet all of you have heard of Second City). I am included in this group of people. I want to go the place that is most well-known so that I can network and have it on my resume'. But I also chose it for the reasons above. There are people here in the city (we know a couple) who have auditioned for the Conservatory several times in hopes to get in. They hold auditions ever 2 months or so for Level 1 (and you HAVE to start with Level 1 no matter who you are). So, I feel very honored and privileged to even be accepted. Now, I just want to do well.

You might be thinkin "Oooooookay- so what happens IF you make it through the Level 2 audition and IF you perform in the Second City Skybox? What THEN?"

The truth is- I don't know. But what this program and all programs here do is open the doors to a lot of opportunities. People get to see me. Teachers get to see me. People who run programs here get to see me. I can get put on a permanent troupe or team or group. It's just like any other performance art- you just need the right people to see you and opportunities open up. It's very uncertain and very exciting.

So- I'm excited. I can't wait to get my improv ass handed to me, which I totally will.


Lins